Dispose of Unneeded Equipment

Before You Begin

No one is permitted to remove from the buildings and grounds any property belonging to the University, even though the equipment may appear to be of no value, unless all relevant policies and procedures are followed. This includes removal of property designated as scrap or recycling and applies to all unneeded equipment regardless of historical cost, tagging status, or inclusion in Banner Fixed Assets.

Retaining or hoarding unneeded equipment limits its potential re-use by other University units or state agencies, and is a violation of Sec 5010.610 of the IL Administrative Code.

Units must dispose of unneeded equipment in a timely manner, in compliance with Sec 5010.400 of the IL Administrative Code. Units are responsible for paying any costs associated with the disposal of equipment.

Begin

To dispose of unneeded equipment:

If the equipment is owned by a project sponsor, obtain approval for disposal from your campus Grants and Contracts office.

Consult Banner Fixed Assets to confirm that your unit is on record as the responsible organization for the equipment and that it is titled to the State of Illinois.

Follow the remaining steps in this process even if the equipment is not in Banner Fixed Assets.

Secure the equipment until this procedure is complete as you are responsible for it until custody has been transferred.

Identify all hazardous materials and follow your campus procedures for their removal.

Examine the item to assess its condition. Decide whether it should be classified as scrap or surplus.

At Urbana and Chicago - Complete a surplus/disposal transaction in FABweb, then follow steps 8-11.

At Springfield - If the equipment is a desktop, laptop, or tablet computing device, complete a transfer transaction in FABweb, transferring the computer to UIS Information Technology Services (ITS), then follow steps 9-11. ITS will complete step 8. For all other equipment, complete a surplus/disposal transaction in FABweb, then follow steps 8-11.

If you are disposing of a desktop, laptop, or tablet computing device:

Remove the data from the equipment (scrub).

Affix a Scrub Label to the front of the item to certify that you have removed the data.

On the label, check:

"Degaussed" if the data was degaussed (leaves the data in random patterns and therefore unrecoverable according to federal requirements).

"Overwritten" if the data was overwritten.

"Inoperable Device" if the device is inoperable and cannot run data elimination software.

Do not remove the hard drive or other components. If the Scrub Label is missing, you may be charged for the cost of eliminating the data or the equipment may be returned to you for scrubbing, at your expense.

Use FABweb to forward the surplus/disposal transaction to your unit approver, who will approve and forward it to University Property Accounting and Reporting (UPAR). When you receive email from UPAR approving the disposal, forward the approval to your campus Facilities office so they can remove the equipment from your unit.

Cancel or modify any maintenance contracts related to the equipment. If the item was insured, contact the University Office of Risk Management for assistance.

Four weeks after submitting the request, verify that the chart and organization for the asset has been changed to the surplus warehouse in Banner Fixed Assets.

Equipment Removals

Each campus has a different process for removing equipment from units after UPAR approves disposal:

Urbana - Warehouse staff will contact you and either schedule a visit to inspect the equipment, or arrange for its shipment directly to the warehouse.

Chicago - Submit a service request to the Facilities Management Service Desk to transfer the equipment to your campus surplus warehouse.

Springfield - Building Services receives the approved disposal request form from UPAR and will initiate transportation of your equipment.

Off-campus locations - Take the equipment to the closest campus surplus warehouse.

Other Disposals

Equipment can be traded in if your unit is purchasing new, "like-kind" equipment. Document the trade-in on all purchasing documents. Complete a surplus/disposal transaction in FABweb to remove the traded-in equipment from your inventory. Equipment cannot be traded in for store credit to be used later, or for items that are "unlike" (equipment for supplies, equipment for reduced rental rates, equipment for inventory for resale, etc.).

With appropriate University approvals and in compliance with the IL Department of Central Management Services (CMS), equipment purchased with restricted, sponsored research funds may be eligible for exemption from State property disposal rules. Contact your campus Grants and Contracts office for more information.

On rare occasions it may be possible to dispose of equipment by sale or donation, or transfer to another state agency, provided your unit receives prior approval to do so from UPAR and the state. The equipment must first be reported through a surplus/disposal transaction in FABweb, and approved as surplus to the University. Consult with UPAR before taking any other steps to sell or donate unneeded equipment.

The following process must be followed before a sale or donation exception will be granted:

UPAR will confirm no other University units are in need of the item(s).

CMS will contact other state agencies to determine whether other agencies want the item(s).

If no other University units or state agencies want the item(s), a formal request to the State for exemption to sell or donate will be processed through UPAR.

Before equipment is used only for its component parts (cannibalization), you must complete a surplus/disposal transaction in FABweb. If UPAR approves the transaction, you may remove the usable parts and scrap the remainder. If any surviving part(s) must be inventoried as an asset, report it through FABweb as a non-cash addition.

Items that are part of a collection may not be disposed of without approval from UPAR. Proceeds from the sale, exchange, or other disposal of any item belonging to a collection of works of art or historical treasures must be applied to the acquisition of additional items for the same collection. Proceeds may not be used to support operating costs, whether directly related to the collection or otherwise.